Apparatus for cleaning gases



Dec. 24, 1940. R. R. HARMON APPARATUS FOR CLEANING GASES Filed sept. 12, 19259 s sheets-sheet 1y l 5 ((oRNEY l De- 24, 1940- R. R. HARMON 2,226,128 l APPARATUSl FOR CLEANING GASES Filed Sept. l2, 1939 v l3 Sheets-Sheet 3 27 71 lNvEN'roR BY /l/ itisv ing a further embodimentof the invention. 35 maybe provided'to supply liquid to the mani# o5 Patented Der.. 24, 1940 l i 2,226,128

UNITED sTATi-:s t PA'i."i;1.\ifrf;foFifici-i,d

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING GASES Robert R. Harmon,V Charlottesville. va., assignor to Peabody Engineering Corporation, New York,

N. Y., a corporation of New York Application september 12, 1939, serieiNo. 294,492 s f icieims. (cuss-w This invention `relates to apparatus for cleanf Referring to the'drawlngs more in detail. theV ing or purifying industrial gases or air and more -invention-is shown in Figs. 1 to 4 as applied to a particularly to a. novel and improved apparatus cleaning apparatus ofthe tower type. comprising of the type disclosed in my application 273,230, a vertical or cylindrical shell or casing I0. having which, in general, rst removes the bulk of the a conical bottom il terminating-.in a central 5 coarse particles, then the fine particles of dust, drain I2 through which the Waste liquid and enfume or the like, and finally the tiny droplets of trained solid particles are Withdrawn, `and havliquid which may be entrained by the gases. ing a conical top Il terminating. in a central dis- An object of the present invention is to procharge duct l5 for the scrubbed. gases. A gas vide an apparatus of the above type which is inlet duct I6 is located in the bottom portion of 10 readily adjustable for the treatment of different the casing l0. The in1et.duct lilis' shown as inquantities of gas. clined downwardly-andentering the shell III4 be- Another object is to provide an apparatus of neath a baffle I1 for the purpose of preventing the above type having adjusting means for main- .the gases from passing directly to the cleaning taining predetermined ges velocities regardless zone, to be described.y It is vto be understood, 15 oi' the volume of gas being treated, however, that the inlet duct I G'may extend hori- Another object is to provide an apparatus of Zontally and may be t located tongentiolly as the above type which is readily adjustable to proshown in kmy copending lapplication above revideawide range of capacities. ferred to, if desired. The particular angle and 2o Another object lstoprovide, in an apparatus of location of this duct may depend. in` general. 20 the above type, novel and improved means -for upon the size of the tower and the"quantity of removing the droplets of entrained liquid which gases to be treated therein. i i maybe carried along with the gas. The lower portion of the shell I0, containing Another object is to provide e, dependable, eiiithe gases vabove mentioned, may be considered to cient and commercially `practicable apparatus for oonStitutea Primary cleaning Zone 20 in which 25 cleaning or purifying industrie] gases or nir, the `bulk of the larger particles are removed from Various other objects and advantages will 'be the gases and fall to the bottomv I I vfrom which apparent as the nature of the invention is morel thoymey berelnoved throughfthe drain l2.rv f fully disclosed. The tower is also provided with a secondary Although the lnovel features which are believed Cleaning zone 2| located abovotho primary olean- .30 to be characteristic of this invention are paring Zone 20 ond Comprising a Circular Plate 22 ticularly pointed out in the claims appended having an annular gas .treating section 23 prohereto, the invention itself will be better under- Vidod With o plurality of openings or orifices 24 stood by referring to the following description, (FSS- 2 and 3). each offWliiohiS 0f general `ven- 8U taken in connection with the accompanyingl turi shape so as to imparta high velocity' to the 35 drawings, in which certain specific embodiments gases `DIiSSing therethrough. A. baille grid 25. A

thereof have been set forth for purposes of illus- Comprising o plurality 0f Strips 25 having outtration, wardly extending baiiiesv 21 formed thereon and In the drawings: supported by suitable meansinot shown) is dis- 40` Fig. 1 is a. vertical sectional view of a gas clean- DoS/od above the Plate 22 Vin o position Such that 40 ing apparatus embodying the present invention; one of the baies 21 is located in alignment with Fig. 2 is a horizonta1 section taken on the line each of the orices 2l. The construction of the 2-2 of Fig. 1 with parts broken away to show the baille. grid and Plate iS more fully disclosed 'in construction thereof; my application above referred to and in my Pain;r Fig. 3 is an enlarged partial vertical section ent'No- 2,007,759n1ndv only So much' thereof is 45 taken on the line 2 3 of Fig, 2; set forth herein as is necessary to an `understand- Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken along'the ing of the Present invention. y s lined- 4 of Fig. l; For maintaining a .blanket of cleaning liquid Fig. 5 is a partial vertical section of a: cleaning such as water'on the. plate 22, a. rotating spray apparatus illustrating a dlilerent embodiment of manifold 30 '1S provided- This ,monifoldzoom- 50 the invention; i Y K prises a'plurality of radial arms 3| carrying noz` Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken on the line zles 32 and rotated bysuitable means such as a G-Sof Fig.5: and motor- 33 driving the manifold through suitable Fig. 7 is an enlarged vertical section illustratmeans, disclosed 'as'be'vel gears 34. A supply pipe fold 35. 'I'he rotating spray assembly may be mounted upon a pair of brackets 35 (Fig. 4) which are secured to the shell l5 by suitable means. It is to be understood, of course, that the 5 particular type of spray may be varied, as desired,

and that the spray maybe driven by other suitable means, such for example as by the reaction of the liquid discharged from thenozzles.

The plate 22 may be'provided with an overflow .1 discharge pipe 45 terminating in a cup 4I, or the like, to provide a liquid seal. In order to provide for adjustment of the effective area of the gas treating section 2l of the plate 2.2, the orifices 24 u and the baille grids 25 are shown as arranged in a pluralityofsegmental sections ,(Figg2). Coop,-

eratlng with each of these sections is a louver 42 which is shown as attached to a rod 43 pivoted in ears 44 formed on the plate 22, and extending outwardly through the shell I0, the end of the rod 43 being provided with an'operating handle .45. Each louver 42 is shown'in Fig. 3 as disposed above the baille grid 4and provided with a lip 45 which engages the platel 22 for supportu ing the louverand `rendering ineffective the area of the plate 22 beneath said louver.v In this embodiment the battle grid 25 is arranged in spaced segmental sectionsso as toA provide .clearance for 4the lips 45 of the various louvers 42itherebetween. $0. It'is yto be under-steed,l however, that the baiiie grid may be continuous around `theentire-plate 22 if desired, in which'event the lips 45 maybe omitted or may be `modified to 'rest on the baile grid; The bearings'for the' rods`43 are prefer- 35, ably adapted to exert suillcient friction soas to maintain the louver in elevated position as shown, for example, at the right of Flg..3. If desired, however, suitable locking or latching means. (not shown may be provided for securing the 40. louvers in open position. t

Disposed above the secondary cleaning zone Vv.2i is a :plate (Fig. 1) carrying a plurality of drying units 5I disposed about the periphery'thereofqand registering in general with the various sections 2s of `the plate zz. Each of tnsunitsll i.

shown as comprising a set of radially' extending curved vanes 52 mounted between a fixed hub member 53 anda peripheral flange 54. Surrounding the flange 54 and spacedtherefroxn isa wall 55 having a conical top section 55 extending A:lnwardly above the vanes 52 and` joined at 51 to the lower edge of the flange 54 to form a liquid receivery channel 55 therebetween. The chanunel 58 communicates with an overflow pipe 55 terminating in a cup, or the like, 4l forming a liquiddseal. In' the embodimentshown, each unit 5i cooperates with a plurality of the segmental sections of the plate 22. It is to be understood,.

of course, that a separate unit 5I may be located `over each section, if desired. l

Thev peripheral edges of the plates 22 and 5I maybe secured to the shell Il. The central portions of the plate 50 may besupported by struts g5 5D' hung from the base of thej discharge 4duct i5 vor from the' supporting framework`V thereof v(not shown). These struts l5' may` enga'geears Il formed on 'a ring 52 which is secured to the plate 50. lSimilar struts, may extend .downwardly and engage a ring I4 secured to the plate 22 for supportingk vthe central portion thereof. The struts 55 and l2 are particularly useful in large towers ln'which theplates 22 and 55 maybe of substantial size and would tend to S88 unless some central supporting means were employed.

Operation In the operation of .this device, the gas or air, heavily laden with dust, fume or other matter, enters through the inlet duct i6 where a large portion of the dust, fume or the like is removed from the gas stream and falls to the bottom of the shell. The gas then travels upward and is subjected to the action of vthe sprays from the slowly rotating nozzles I2. 'Ihis spray feeds the liquid upwardly with the gas flow onto the under side of the annular section 23 of the plate 22.

The rotating spraysv completely wash the bottom of the section 23 o1' the plate 22 and create a line mist which passes through the ori- 15 iices 24 along with the gas stream and suspended particles. The gas, suspended particles and mist strike the banies 21 above the orifices. and the suspended particles are trapped by the mist and water which collects on top of the plate 22 to a predetermined depth depending upon the height of the overilow pipe 40.

-A liquid blanket is maintained on the plate 22 due to the pressure and velocity of the gas passing through the orifices. Excess liquid collecting 25 on the plate ilowsV downwardly through the liquid seal formed by the cup 4i. Gas which has thus been cleaned by causing the particles to impinge upon the baule grid 25 and to be entrapped in the liquid on the plate 22 then passes upwardly 30 through the various drying units 5I.

` The .vanes 52 of the units 5I impart a violent rotational movement to the gas. The entrained liquid particles are thus'caused to coalesce on the underside 4of the vanes due to the wiping action 35 of the 'gases and are thrown oil.' by the vanes 52 and against the wall Iii-and the conical top portion 55aslarge'drops,.thus drying the gas and relieving rt of all entrained material. The liquid collecting in the channel 58 flows downwardly ,through the pipe .u onto the plate zz. 40

In th'eabove described operation it is assumed l that the various louvers 42 are in raised position "as shown at the right in Fig. 3, thereby uncovering all of the baille grids and orinces and permitting the entire area of the section 23 of the plate 45 22 to be active. It may, however, be desirable to close oil' a portion of the active area of the plate 22 as, for example, to increase the velocityof gas v ow through the remaining portion or to maintain a constant or predetermined velocity when a G0 reduced volume of gas is being passed through the tower. For this purpose a selected number of the louvers 42 may be closed as indicated at the left in Fig. 3, thereby `shutting olli the correspond- 5- ing area of the baille grid and plate 22 and reducing the number of orifices through which the gas may pass. The gas velocity may in this way be regulated asdesired to adapt the tower to dierent types, 0r quantities of gases and to pass the gases through the secondary cleaning zone under the most emcient conditions.

The relationship of the wall 55 to the vanes 52. is such that the rotating gases are caused to im' pinge against said wall so as .to centrifugally remove the suspended droplets of liquid before the 0" gases are passed to the top portion of the'tower. The vanes 52 are preferably so spaced and curved that gases are progressively increased in velocity as they pass upwardly -therethrough and are caused to rotate at the desired speed for obtain- 70 ingf-the above results. Byv removing the entrapped liquid into the channel 55 the liquid is prevented from .contacting with or being entrained in the rising gases.

It is' to be understoodv that the particular 75 mounting for the louvers l2 and the particular type and operating mechanism therefor may be varied as desired. The louvers may, for example, be operated in groups or in u'nison by the use of suitable linkage means interconnecting the various rods 43. In certain instances it may be desirable to control the flow of 'gases by varying the angular position of the louvers 42, thereby changing the eiiective area available for gas flow. Other suitable adjusting means will be readily apparent.

Figures and 6 In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the various parts of the tower corresponding to the parts described above, have been given similar reference numerals and the description thereof will not be repeated. It is noted that in Figs. 5 and 6 the louvers of Figs. 1 to 4 have been replaced by dampers 10. These dampers 'l0 are shown as mounted in separate segmental chambers 1i which are disposed above certain segmental sections or groups of sections 23 of the plate 22 and communicate with the individual units 5| In this embodiment the chambers 1l are closed by radial baiiies 13 and by central closures 1I. The central closures 'Il are shown as forming a separate wall registering with the inner edge 15 of the dampers 10. The

closures may, however, be of other shapes, such l.

as circular, if desired.

Each damper is shown as mounted 0n a rod 16 extending outwardly through the shell I0 arid provided with an operating handle 11. In this embodiment the closure of any individual chamber 1I by means of the associated damper 10 prevents passage of gases through the corresponding central section of the plate 22 and into the unit 5I is thus caused to iiow through the remaining open. chambers 1l. In this way the gas velocity through the cleaning and drying zones may be regulated and a positive control of the entire operation may be obtained.

Figure 7 In the embodiment of Fig. 7 a plate 22 and baiiie grid are shown similar to those above described and forming a part of the cleaning and scrubbing apparatus oi' the type above set forth. In this embodiment, however, the louvers 42 in Figs. 1 to 4 and the dampers 10 of Figs. 5 and 6 have been omitted and adjustment is obtained by means of a series of sliding plates 8U, each of which is adapted to slide beneath the plate 22 and to close oil` a selected number of orifices 24. The plates 80 may each be provided with a lip 8| for engaging the under side of the plate 22 and may slide on suitable supporting guides 82. Each plate may be provided with a link 83 extending outwardly through the shell I ll and providedY with a handle 84 by which the plate may be adjusted as desired. It is to be understood that a plurality of individual plates 80 may be provided for each of the segmental sections of the plate 22 and that the plates 80 may be variably adjusted to eiect desired changes in the number of exposed orifices 24 which are available for use.

It will be noted that by suitable adjustment of the eiiective area of the orifices, together with the rate of liquid ow to the rotating nozzles and the pressure of the gases passing through the scrubber, the desired cleaning action may be obtained while using a minimum amount of which is -associated therewith. The gas liquid. The invention accordingly provides a simple, efhcient and commercially practicable scrubber whichl is capable of a wide variety of uses. 4

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been set forth forpurposes of illustration, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein as will .be readily apparentto a'person skilled in the art. Certain speciiic'terms have been used herein for convenience of description and not as a limitation to the scope of the invention. The invention is only to be limited in accordance with the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. An apparatus for cleaning gases comprising a casing, a cleaning zone in said casing comprising a transverse plate having a plurality of openings therein forming orlces through which the gas passes at high velocity, baille means disposed in registration with said orices in a position such that the gases and entrained matter after passage through the said orifices impinge on said baille means, means maintaining a liquid blanket on said transverse plate in which the entrained particles aretrapped, means removing entrained droplets o! said liquid from said gases Acomprising a plurality ofV drying units spaced transversely of said casing to receive each of said units comprising a set of vanes adapted to impart a rapid whirling motion to the gases passing therethrough, dividing means in said casing forming separate chambers communicating between the individual drying units and the cleaning zone, and means closing selected chambers for interrupting the ilow of gases therethrough.

2. An apparatus for cleaning gases comprising a casing, means passing gases to be cleaned through said casing, a cleaning zone comprising a plate extending across said casing and having a plurality of openings therein forming fixed oriiices through which the gas passes at high velocity and means comprising a plurality oi louvers arranged over said plate and adapted to individually cover selected portions thereof for rendering the orifices of said portions ineffective while maintaining the remaining orifices unchanged, for thereby controlling the gas velocity without altering the characteristics of gas flow through said remaining orifices.

3. An apparatus for cleaning gases comprising a casing, a cleaning zone in said casing comprising a transverse plate having a plurality of openings therein forming oriiices through which the gas passes at high velocity, means removing entrained droplets of said liquid from said gas comprising a plurality of drying units spaced transversely of said casing, each unit registering with a separate portion of said plate to receive gas after passage through the orifices therein, and a set of imperforate members, each adapted to block ofi! the fiow through the orifices in a predetermined portion of said plate lor interrupting the flow of gas through said portion and through the aligned drying units, so as to control the gas velocity in the remaining area of said plate and through the remaining units.

4. An apparatus for cleaning gases comprising a casing, a cleaning zone in said casing comprising a transverse plate having a plurality of openings therein forming orifices through which the gas passes at high velocity, means removing entrained droplets oi said liquid from said gas com..

-baiiie means comprising a set of imperforate members interposed between said .cleaning zone and said drying units to block oiI the ow through the orices in a predetermined portion of said plate for interrupting the iiow oi! .gas through said portion and through the aligned drying units, so as to control the gas velocity in the remaining area of said plate and through the Y remaining drying units.

s. An apparatus :or cleaning gases. as set forth in claim 23, in which the imperforate members comprise shields slidably mounted beneath said transverse plate for blocking on and closing the oriiices in selected portions thereof.

6. An apparatus for cleaning gases, as set forth in' claim 4, in which the baille means comprises louvers arranged over said plateand adapted to individually cover selected `portionsfithereo'f.-

7. An apparatus for cleaning gases,as set forth in claim 4, in which .the baiilemeans comprises a -set of dampers interposed between the cleaning zone and the respective `drying units for interrupting the gas ow to selected areas of said transverse plate and through selected drying units.

ROBERT4 R; HARMON.

, GERTLFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent Nq. 2,226,128. December 2L, 1 9ho.

ROBERT R HARMON 1t is hereby certified that error appe-ars in the printed specificstion*` of the above mzmbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page lp, first column, line 15,' claim 5, for the claim reference numeral "25" read 5land that the said Letters Batent'Ashouldbe read with this correction therethat the same may conform to the recordV of the case in the Patent Office. signed and sealed this 18th any of February, A. D, 1941..

Henry Van Arsdale 5 (Seal) -Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

